Child sex abuse increase sounds alarm bells A 52-year-old father in Ha Noi was sentenced to 16 years in jail last week for raping his daughter. The case has aroused public outrage and concern about the recent increase in child cruelty and sexual abuse. Viet Nam News reporter spoke with the authorities, experts and victims to examine the issue. What is the current situation of child sexual abuse in Viet Nam? Nguyen Trong An, deputy director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Children Care and Protection Department:   Nguyen Trong An On average there are 1,000 child sexual abuse cases in Viet Nam every year and nearly 30 per cent of all child victims last year were sexually abused over long periods of time. It is sad to say that most of the perpetrators are known by the children and can be teachers, neighbours, friends of parents or even relatives such as fathers, brothers or cousins. Many cases proved how cruel the criminals can be, as sometimes, they are in groups of five or six and some times the sexually assaulted children are even under five years old. A number are also killed after being raped or turned into sexual slaves for many years. However, even worse, many perpetrators have escaped punishment because the victims’ parents fail to take them to the court. Nguyen Thi An, Senior Program Manager of Child Protection for Plan International in Viet Nam: I am not sure that the increase in child sex abuse cases recently reported in the media has resulted from the fact that more people have become aware of the issue or that the issue has become more serious and happens more frequently. However, I agree that in most of the cases the children knew their attackers. This is not unusual as many countries show that 80 per cent of the perpetrators of child sexual abuse cases are acquainted with the children. These people have countless opportunities to meet and get familiar with the children and build up confidence in them or gain power over them. But it has been impossible for me to ascertain why, in so many abuse cases, the fathers are the perpetrators. Many times, I have asked myself the question: “How can they do that?” So, why are so few of these criminals being caught and punished? Doctor of Psychology Nguyen Thi Kim Quy, from the Centre of Psychological Consultation and Treatment for Children: In other countries, when signs of child sexual abuse are detected, the suspected perpetrators are immediately seized and quickly investigated. However, complicated administrative procedures here and an irresponsible attitude shown by the local authorities impede investigations and erase most of the proof in child sexual abuse cases. All this leads to a failure to bring suspected criminals to court. These procedures can last for several weeks, before the child victims can be taken for a health check by the police to define their physical injuries. Moreover, parents or local authorities or witnesses do not know the importance of keeping evidence such as soiled clothing. This long period of time can be enough for a perpetrator to collect their thoughts and work out an alibi. I know a case in Ha Noi’s Ha Dong District, where the parents of a victim had spent six years trying in vain trying to have their allegations against a suspect followed up. So far, the perpetrator has received no punishment because they have no proof. As for murders, the authorities consider them serious and start investigations immediately. However, as for the victims of child sexual abuse cases, they pay little attention to bringing the guilty to justice. They do not realise that while murderers kill people, in child rape cases, the victims are killed gradually, even over a dozen years. This, to some extent is even more brutal. Trong An: The main reasons that so few child sexual abuse cases are being brought to the court are as follows: Firstly, prejudice in Viet Nam against child rape cases results in the victims themselves and their families feeling ashamed and not wishing anyone to know their problems. This is because the family’s honour is denigrated and their neighbours speak ill of them behind their back. Secondly, people have little knowledge of the laws relating to child sexual abuse, and some do not even realise that it is illlegal and others are threatened by the perpetrators. Thirdly, it is the injustice shown by many boards of judges in many child sexual abuse cases that leads to an erosion of public confidence. Also, while in court, many would rather stay silent than make an effort, only to see the abuser set free eventually. Thi An : I agree that it is a lack of knowledge amongst the public that makes affected people fail to acknowledge that these are illegal activities and the perpetrators deserve to be punished, not themselves or their children. Some local authorities intentionally cover up these cases because they are afraid of recording failures when these cases occur within their jurisdiction. What are the negative impacts on a child victims’ psychology? Quy: Child victims’ psychology is affected in various ways and at different levels, depending on their age. For children under six years old, they just don’t understand what happened to them. They just feel shock and panic because of the pain caused by the perpetrators. Being treated quickly helps them to forget and get back to normal as soon as possible. However, when they reach puberty, their memories of these incidents return and then they need psychological treatment again. And when they have boy/girlfriends, they also have to worry about whether they should reveal their past. Some couples still marry while others who have a boy/girlfriend will suffer in pain for the rest of their life. As for children at secondary or high school, their psychological state of mind is seriously and immediately damaged by these rape cases because they already have life experience and knowledge. At that age they always want to express themselves so being raped is a life changing event and makes them feel shameful and inferior. They also tend to blame themselves. Their psychological burden is then multiplied when people around them discuss the the incident. Many become depressed, drop out of school and some commit suicide or undergo serious mental health problems. If not, many become afraid of men and keep away from them. But whatever age the victims are, they will be affected by the incident for the rest of their lives. I have been treating a patient for more than 25 years where the victim was raped by her father for eight years from the age of 10 years. Now, she is 45 years old and repeatedly falls into depression. What are the main reasons for the increasing number of child sexual abuse cases? Trong An: Traditional moralities are being disregarded. People also depreciate the values of blood relationships and families. Adults, especially parents, tend to focus on earning money and spend less time taking care of their children. They fail to acknowledge the potential risks to their children. Meanwhile, children face more risks from modern life and the internet. There is also a lack of well-qualified officers and activists at grassroots level to take responsibility for protecting children and settling any related issues. The law fails to define strict punishments, makes it difficult for people who detect the signs of child sexual abuse to report to the authorities or protect victims and witnesses from being threatened by the perpetrators. Thi An: Adults including parents, relatives, neighbours or teachers and even children themselves have little knowledge of child sexual abuse so they do not easily recognise the early warning signs. I also agree with Dr An about the high price that we are having to pay, as a country, for concentrating on boosting economic growth and ignoring moral and cultural values. Moreover, it is too difficult for us to rely on schools to equip children with the necessary life skills and knowledge of reproductive health and preventive measures against sexual abuse. Quy: The media should be blamed partially for the rise of child sex abuse cases due to their irresponsible reporting. Many magazines, newspapers and websites have stories and photos of sexual activities, without any appropriate information. Stories like these just trigger the curiosity of many people and arouses their desire. Moreover, when reporting on cases of child sexual abuse, many do not mention the punishments or denounce those responsible. What can we do now to protect our children from being sexually abused? Trong An: The first and foremost measure is that raising the public’s knowledge and skills on the prevention of child sexual abuse. Parents should always keep an eye on their children and note their psychological changes so they can teach them the necessary skills to protect themselves. Staff who have responsibility for protecting and caring children must also be greatly improved. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs are also piloting a community-based model of prevention so children who have been sexually abused can be assisted. Thi An: A community-based child protection network has been set up in 30 provinces and cities in which three individuals from each village are responsible for protecting local children, detecting risks and rescuing them from danger. However, they also need to raise the local community’s knowledge of child protection issues. The network also includes child volunteers, who along with their friends will work out simple measures to protect each other from potential risks. For example, if their school has only one toilet for both girls and boys, they must go in pairs or map out “black areas” where they should never go alone. Children can actively protect themselves or call assistance from adults. We try to learn from the experiences of other countries such as the Philippines or Malaysia. For example, at kindergartens, children learn through colourful and cute images about “their secret body parts” where they have to wear bathing costumes to cover whenever they go swimming, and no one has the right to touch them. Children get to know the basic rules: No-Go-Tell. They say no when anyone touches their “secret body parts”. Then, they leave and stay far away from the person involved. Finally, they must tell their parents. When they are at primary school, they can be told about situations and the risk of child sexual abuse. They then answer and get a simple explanation. Thanks to these, they will be able to react accordingly in a real life situation. At a higher level, they learn about the risks of sexual abuse via the social networks or relationships. Quy: The hotline 18001567, which is the number that children can call for help or consultancy at anytime is currently being popularised. When we get information from them, we immediately give them advice and put them in touch with local officers, so they can take care of them. If they are victims of child sexual abuse, they will get free psychological treatment. Their parents will also get a psychological and legal consultancy. Nguyen Thanh Ngan (not her real name) in Ha Noi’s Me Linh District whose daughter was raped by her husband: I wish I could turn back time to save my little girl. From 2008, she told me many times that my husband touched her body parts and then forced her to touch his sexual body parts. She was very frightened. However, I felt ashamed to tell anyone about this. I kept silent. Since then, my girl tried not to be at home alone when I was at work. I also took no measures to protect her because I believed that he, as her blood father, would not be so inhumane as to rape her. Actually, I also never thought about this actually happening. I was totally wrong. My daughter became her father’s victim. When I got back home she was crying loudly. I witnessed this scene and it made me crazy. I wished I could have killed him and also killed myself. I took him to court but it was too late. My daughter is still and will never be a normal girl. I will never forgive myself for indirectly harming my daughter. Vietnam News